Triton Knoll Offshore Wind Farm Ltd. has launched its GBP 1.5 million community fund with an initial GBP 500,000 to support local projects and priorities in Lincolnshire, UK, over the two years of onshore construction of the 860MW wind farm.
Once commissioned in 2021, the Triton Knoll wind farm will initiate a second fund, worth GBP 40,000 a year, which will support projects and initiatives proposed by the communities closest to the new onshore substation at Bicker Fen and landfall site near Anderby Creek.
“I’m really pleased to see The Fund finally up and running, and am looking forward to seeing the first round of projects come into being. Funding like this can be hugely important to small local communities – it’s really flexible and can be focused on the things that matter most to local people,” said innogy’s Triton Knoll Project Director Julian Garnsey .
“Throughout our local consultation, it was clear that the funding should support those communities neighbouring the Triton Knoll onshore construction works, so that’s exactly what we are delivering. By directly targeting this funding at our closest communities, we can provide greater benefits to local people, and so we look forward to receiving those first applications.”
Lincolnshire Community Foundation (LCF) has been appointed to administer the fund on behalf of locals, with its first job being to recruit a volunteer decision-making panel from among the communities closest to the new infrastructure.
Innogy has recently agreed to sell a 41% stake in the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm to Japan’s J-Power (25%) and Kansai Electric Power (16%), retaining the majority equity stake of 59%.
The German company will manage the construction, as well as operation and maintenance works of the 90-turbine project on behalf of project partners.